1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to archery equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bow that allows an archer to fire an arrow through the geometric center of the bow.
2. Related Art
The bow is one of the most ancient weapons, and there have been innumerable designs for bows over the centuries. While the development of firearms long ago displaced bows as among the most powerful and accurate weapons, there is still widespread use of bows in sport hunting and target shooting. Because of this continued enthusiasm, there have been a number of significant improvements and changes in bows in relatively recent times. For example, the development of the compound bow and the introduction of lightweight resilient carbon fiber composite materials have greatly improved the ease of use and performance of modern bows.
Despite modern improvements, however, some traditional problems still remain. For example, the traditional straight bow of necessity fires the arrow to the side of the bow, causing a slight waver or curve in the trajectory of the arrow. To eliminate this problem, many modern bows include a lateral offset in the bow just above the handle, allowing the arrow to be fired in line with the vertical axis of the bow.
However, this solution to one problem actually introduces another problem. In order to allow the archer to steady the bow, the handle must be located at the geometric center of the bow. Because the handle occupies the center of the bow, the arrow is therefore necessarily fired slightly above center, and the arrow nock must therefore contact the bowstring slightly above center. This offset causes the bowstring to apply differential forces to the arrow, causing a vertical waver in the trajectory of the arrow.